Mind Over Munchies: Breaking Free from Routine Eating

Do you eat at the same time every day, regardless of whether you're truly hungry?

Do you reach for food when stressed or emotional? You're not alone. Many of us fall into the trap of routine eating, where we eat out of habit rather than responding to our body's actual hunger signals [1]. But why do we behave this way?

As humans, we have evolved to seek out food to survive. In the past, we didn't always have easy access to food, so eating when it was available was important. This has led us to eat out of routine, even when we don't need food.

How can we break free from this pattern of routine eating and get back in touch with our primal hunger signals?

3 Tips to Break Free from Routine Eating

1. Practice mindful eating: Take the time to savor your food and pay attention to your body's cues. Notice when you start to feel full and stop eating, even if there's still food on your plate [2].
2. Eat only when you're hungry: Try to listen to your body and eat only when you're truly hungry. This may mean skipping a meal if you're not hungry or waiting until you feel a real hunger pang before reaching for a snack [3].
3. Break your routine: Mix up your eating habits and try eating at different times of the day. This can help you get in touch with your body's natural hunger rhythms and break the pattern of routine eating [1].

Not sure if you're really hungry?

Drink 20-32 ounces of water. The water will satisfy the decoy hunger signal if the hunger signal isn't real. However, if your body is genuinely hungry, the water will temporarily snooze the hunger signal, and it will present again [4].

By following these tips, you can break free from routine eating and get back in touch with your body's natural hunger signals. Remember, we eat for three reasons: reward, routine, and relief. By understanding why we eat the way we do, we can take steps to create healthier eating habits and live a more balanced life.

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Scientific Citations:

1. Stroebele-Benschop, N., & O'Doherty Jensen, K. (2014). Eating behavior and theories of eating behavior. In Food, diet and obesity (pp. 1-18). Woodhead Publishing.
2. Robinson, E., Almiron-Roig, E., Rutters, F., de Graaf, C., Forde, C. G., & Tudur Smith, C. (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of eating rate on energy intake and hunger. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 111(4), 707-720.
3. Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020). Intuitive eating: A revolutionary program that works. St. Martin's Essentials.
4. Boschmann, M., Steiniger, J., Hille, U., Tank, J., Adams, F., Sharma, A. M., ... & Jordan, J. (2003). Water-induced thermogenesis. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 88(12), 6015-6019.

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